The Nigerian Navy has intensified its war against oil theft, dismantling at least 71 illegal refinery sites and confiscating more than 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil in the Niger Delta during July 2025.
This was disclosed on Friday in Abuja by Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, Director of Naval Information, in the service’s monthly operational review obtained by The News Chronicle.
According to Adams-Aliu, the clampdown formed part of the ongoing Operation Delta Sanity, a mission aimed at stamping out crude oil theft and other economic crimes along Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
The offensive, he said, unearthed and destroyed 120 dugout pits, illegal storage depots, and various makeshift equipment deployed by criminals in crude oil theft and unlicensed refining operations in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
In the process, naval forces blocked oil thieves from accessing approximately 411,400 litres of crude oil, 87,825 litres of illicitly-refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), and 21,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Giving further details, the naval spokesperson noted that on July 4, troops raided illegal refining camps in Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni in Rivers State, seizing over 66,000 litres of suspected crude and 40,000 litres of refined AGO.
He said follow-up operations on July 14 led to multiple arrests and seizures in Akwa Ibom and Delta States, including the foiling of smuggling attempts to Cameroon and the discovery of hidden underground reservoirs stocked with thousands of litres of stolen crude.
On July 22 and 23, two massive illicit operations were brought down in Bayelsa’s Biseni community, with security operatives recovering more than 450,000 litres of crude oil.
Adams-Aliu further revealed that several wooden boats ferrying PMS and other petroleum products were impounded, while six suspected smugglers were taken into custody.
Reiterating the Navy’s commitment under the leadership of Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, he stressed that the service is determined to wipe out oil theft and strengthen national oil output.
According to him, the Navy’s efforts have been instrumental in helping Nigeria surpass 1.8 million barrels per day in oil production, as confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in its mission to ensure maritime safety, deter illicit activities, and uphold national security within the nation’s maritime domain,” he said.
A recent report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that Nigeria lost a staggering 619.7 million barrels of crude worth N16.25 trillion to theft between 2009 and 2020. However, losses have dropped sharply—from 36.69 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023—thanks to stronger security and improved resource management.
